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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24558721">No One Will Hurt You Again</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Somiko_Raven/pseuds/Somiko_Raven'>Somiko_Raven</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Cherik Week 2020 [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - Horror, Blood, M/M, Protective Erik Lehnsherr</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:27:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>986</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24558721</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Somiko_Raven/pseuds/Somiko_Raven</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Charles first bought his new home, he didn't need to know why it was so cheap, why the realtor was glad to be rid of it.</p><p>But then he met Erik.</p><p>Cherik Week 2020 Prompt: Horror</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Cherik Week 2020 [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1769422</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>82</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Cherik Week 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>No One Will Hurt You Again</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>My horror prompt was originally going to be vampires, but then this idea came to me days before Cherik Week was set to begin so I chose to swap that one out for this.</p><p>For any still hoping for vampires, Day 7 is a Free day, so... :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been a few days since Charles bought his first home. He had gotten quite the bargain on the beautiful house, but he never questioned why until he saw <em> him</em>.</p><p>At first Charles thought someone had broken in… just to stand there and stare at the flowers in the garden through the kitchen window. That didn’t make much sense. Then Charles realized that he could see through the man’s transparent form.</p><p>
  <em> Maybe he will leave me alone. </em>
</p><p>And for the most part, the quiet ghost did. But then things started happening around the house. He heard banging in the kitchen and feared the possibility of real intruders, so he grabbed something that could hurt when thrown, and tiptoed to the kitchen.</p><p>He froze in the doorway, staring at the pans hovering in the air. The silverware placed itself neatly in the drawer. Cabinets opened for the pans that then floated themselves inside. And directing it all was the ghost, standing in the center of the kitchen.</p><p>“Thank you,” he told the kind ghost, startling him.</p><p>The ghost turned and Charles could finally see his face.</p><p>“Oh… You were so young,” Charles whispered, reaching for the other’s cheek, but his fingers went straight through, feeling nothing but a sharp chill where he should have felt the skin of another person.</p><p>
  <em> “You can see me?” </em>
</p><p>“Yes I can. I always could.”</p><p>
  <em> “Most people are unable to.” </em>
</p><p>Charles pulled his hand back. “Still, thank you for putting things away. How did you do that?”</p><p>
  <em> “They are metal. I can control metal.” </em>
</p><p>“That is amazing.” The excitement was very short-lived upon remembering he was speaking with a ghost, and he asked, “Why are you here though?”</p><p><em> “I died here,” </em> the ghost answered. <em> “My soul cannot leave.” </em></p><p>“No unfinished business or anything like that? Just that you were killed here and can never leave?”</p><p>
  <em> “That is correct.” </em>
</p><p>Charles frowned. “What is your name?”</p><p>
  <em> “Erik. Erik Lehnsherr.” </em>
</p><p>“Alright, Erik. My name is -”</p><p><em> “Charles,” </em> Erik said for him. <em> “I know.” </em></p><p>“Oh.” He stood there, hesitant about his next question, but decided to ask it. “How did you die?”</p><p>
  <em> “I was killed.” </em>
</p><p>“O-oh… Did you… Did you know who did it?”</p><p>Erik turned away. <em> “I did. He had been like… a parental guardian, in a way.” </em></p><p>“Your guardian murdered you?”</p><p>
  <em> “We had a disagreement. One of us was going to die. I just wish it had been him.” </em>
</p><p>“What?”</p><p>
  <em> “Don’t worry about it, Charles.” </em>
</p><p>How could he not? “Did he kill you in self defense?”</p><p>Erik said nothing for several seconds, and then he spoke so softly, <em> “He murdered my mother years before.” </em></p><p>“W-what?”</p><p>Transparent fingers paused at the side of Charles’ face, chilling his cheek. <em> “You should stop asking questions you don’t want answers for.” </em> Then Erik’s form faded from his sight.</p><p>Charles gasped for breath. “What the hell?”</p><hr/><p>He did not see Erik again for over a week. Nothing metal moved. But Charles knew Erik was around somewhere. He couldn’t leave.</p><p>It was fine. Charles was fine alone.</p><p>He didn’t bother looking into the history of his new home. He didn’t want to know the details around Erik’s death. What if it framed Erik as the guilty party, and not the man that killed his mother?</p><p>Was it even true?</p><p>Something fell and broke in the kitchen. He guessed a glass. Maybe Erik was helping out again. But… he had been so careful before.</p><p>“Erik?”</p><p>There was nothing but silence.</p><p>Charles got up and walked to the kitchen door and peeked inside. His heart was racing as he switched on the light.</p><p>A man he didn’t know charged at him, knocking Charles to the floor. He tried to break free, taking a punch to the face that made him see stars.</p><p>Words were being uttered but Charles couldn’t make them out. His head hurt. The only thing he could think of was things floating, fighting his attacker back.</p><p>But that wasn’t something Charles could do.</p><p>“Erik!”</p><p>The man on him laughed. “I know you’re alone.”</p><p>“No I’m not!”</p><p>Drawers began to rattle. Cabinet doors were thrown open.</p><p>The criminal stumbled off of Charles, watching as three sharp kitchen knives floated out of the silverware drawer.</p><p><em> “Close your eyes,” </em> Charles heard Erik say and he did.</p><p>“What the fuck is this?” his attacker demanded. “Some sort of cheap - auck!”</p><p>Charles felt warm blood land on him in a splatter. He trembled and tried to breathe. <em> This isn’t happening, this isn’t happening, this isn’t happening… </em></p><p>He could hear something dragging across the floor. A couple drops of blood landing on the tile. His own shaky breaths and things banging around him.</p><p>How long he stayed there with his eyes shut, he didn’t know, but eventually he heard Erik tell him, <em> “You can open them now.” </em></p><p>He did, and found his kitchen cleaner than he expected. There was still blood on the floor, and on his clothes, and on his face. “E-Erik?”</p><p>The ghost knelt in front of him, a haunting chill enveloping him wherever Erik ‘touched’. <em> “He’s gone.” </em></p><p>“W-why, why was he… why did he…”</p><p>
  <em> “It’s alright. He’s gone.” </em>
</p><p>“H-he’s gone.”</p><p>Erik tried to caress Charles’ cheek but frowned when his own hand just slipped through for that brief moment.<em> “No one will hurt you again.” </em></p><p>Charles felt his eyes sting with tears. “You can’t promise that. Not if I’m not here.”</p><p>
  <em> “I will find a way for you.” </em>
</p><p>Should he be happy? Should he be terrified?</p><p>
  <em> “You should go take off your clothes and get cleaned up. Throw them in a bag. Hide it in the back of a closet.” </em>
</p><p>“I… y-yeah, sure.”</p><p><em> “Good.” </em> Erik stood and looked the kitchen over.</p><p>“Erik.”</p><p>He turned back to him.</p><p>“W-what did you do with him?”</p><p>A blank stare was given before Erik faded away, leaving Charles alone again. He stared at the spot where Erik had stood, his heart pounding heavily in his chest.</p>
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